Marine survey systems are used to acquire data (e.g. seismic data, electromagnetic data, etc.) regarding Earth formations below a body of water such as a lake or ocean. Many marine survey systems use one or more sensor streamers towed behind a vessel. Other marine survey systems locate sensors on or near the ocean bottom (i.e. sea floor) on cables or nodes. Some sensors detect one or more parameters associated with an electromagnetic source.
Electromagnetic sources in related art systems may include one or more electrodes in contact with a water body coupled via a cable to a source of electromagnetic energy. The physical size and bulk of the electrodes may be such that a cable winch used to recover the cable is not sufficient to recover the electrode from the water body. Recovery of the electrodes may then require the deployment on board a survey vessel of ancillary heavy lifting equipment, such as a crane, and the employment of manpower in conjunction therewith. Thus, an electrode for use in an electromagnetic survey recoverable without the use of such heavy equipment would have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.